Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS FT has announced a new partnership with Epic to implement a new single integrated electronic health record system across the organisation.
The electronic patient record is planned to go live in April 2023, and the trust will also work with Epic to deploy its patient portal.
The trust said they currently “use a number of different IT systems to record the care given to a patient” leading to “a large amount of time and administrative effort for a clinician to view a patient’s complete medical record.”
“The new electronic health record system will replace many of these existing systems, providing access to a single source of information about each patient, and freeing up time for clinical teams to spend directly on a person’s care.”
Subject to approvals, the deployment of Epic will also be extended into Royal Brompton & Harefield and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trusts.
Epic’s Patient Portal will be deployed to provide patients with access to their medical records, enabling them to book appointments and actively engage in their health.
Professor Ian Abbs, Chief Executive of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS FT, said: “I am delighted that we have chosen Epic to help us implement a new electronic health record system at the trust. This is a hugely significant moment for us.”
“Importantly, introducing a new EHR system is not just about new technology. It is more about changing the way we work every day, using new tools and high quality data to improve the way we provide care to our patients.”
“We will newly empower our patients by providing them with access to better information and empower our staff by providing them with a modern, digital, working experience.”
Beverley Bryant, Chief Digital Information Officer at Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trusts said: “The potential to implement Epic across our three organisations provides us with a once in a generation opportunity to re-imagine our clinical workflows and provide a vastly improved experience for our staff and patients.”
“This programme will signify a major transformational change and underpin our ambitions for high quality care for the patients that we serve. Our teams have been working towards this point for some time, so to now embark on the deployment journey is extremely exciting. I look forward to providing our staff and patients with the digital platform that they deserve.”
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